Jim Carson was cleared of Charter Violations…..if you are new to the site, or to Keller, the comments are worth a read.
Last year I spent my anniversary at a City Council Meeting, this year I have to make up for it and take my wife out to a nice dinner.
This was posted today in both the Mayor’s weekly update and the City’s main page. I didn’t “read” the Keller Citizen, but rather skimmed it today and didn’t see a mention in there. The timing of the meeting kind of ticks me off as this should have been publicized further out than 6 days. Heck, besides this blog and the City’s website, all we have is a weekly newspaper to get the word out and the paper won’t come out until after this meeting is over.
The Mayor mentioned the Visioning Project in our interview the other day but he didn’t say the first meeting was going to take place next week…but I’ll give him a pass. He showed me his Blackberry and the list of appointments and meetings he attends on a daily basis is mind boggling. I don’t know how he finds time to eat.
I am also a member of P&Z and didn’t get prior notification of this meeting through that avenue. I plan to ask Richard Ludke at the meeting Monday why this was put out on a Friday afternoon before a three day weekend instead of a week or two ago.
Enough of my rant…..here’s the blurb:
The City of Keller would like to invite you to attend and participate in the Keller Town Center Visioning project, at 7:00 PM, Thursday, October 16, 2008 at Keller Town Hall.
The public is invited to participate in this public meeting to gather opinions and discuss issues concerning the Town Center Zoning District. The meeting will be conducted by Mr. Dan Sefko, FAICP, from Freese and Nichols, Inc., on behalf of the City of Keller. The purpose of the meeting is to receive input from citizens and all other individuals, groups and organizations/associations interested in this process and to develop an updated plan for Keller Town Center. Please come to provide your input.
For more information, call the City of Keller Planning Division at (817)743-4130 or contact Richard Luedke, Planning and Development Manager, at rluedke@cityofkeller.com.
Why is this meeting important? Because this is the first step in making sure the “Primarily Non Residential” designation stays in the Town Center UDC. Not only that, if you want to strengthen the language about Apartments in the Town Center UDC, this is your chance to do so.
Because for some odd reason I’ve been posting a lot on this website instead of doing something more productive with my life, I will keep bumping this to the top this week.
Please, get the word out! The more people that show up to express their opinion on this, the better it will be.
Keller Station appeared for the first time on this blog.
Today Greenway Investments presented “Plan B” to city staff. It included a reduction in the number of apartments from 324 to about 270.
Newly-appointed city manager Dan O’Leary informed Greenway that the multi-family component of their development is not in compliance with Keller’s Unified Development Code.
Another update coming early next week…
You would think that the owners of Garabedian Properties would look out their window and see the winds of change blowing in Keller. That wind is bringing a grass roots uprising against high density developments in our town.
Tonight I attended a meeting put on by Michael Garabedian for a project that he is proposing on the corner of North Tarrant and Keller Smithfield. The plat stated the name as Courtyard Plaza, but the handout called it by Smithfield Village. Either way, it’s a high density development on between 7 to 8 acres that includes:
*13 Cottage style houses with near zero lot lines on 1.75 acres
*A daycare center/medical office building
*Three multi-story buildings consisting of first floor retail, second floor commercial office space and third and fourth floor apartments with underground parking
A mini Keller Station. The land is currently zoned Neighborhood Service, a retail zoning. They pulled out the same bogey men that the developers of Keller Station did, the dreaded shopping strip. I basically asked them if a shopping center is feasible to build on the site, why has the current landowner sat on this property for 16 years?
I asked Mr. Garabedian flat out if he had not been reading the paper? If he didn’t think that with three City Council Seats up for re-election that he had a chance in hell of getting this passed? I give him props, as he is confident that he will get this development pushed through.
This property will be visible from my front yard. I ask a favor…
I am the one who brought Keller Station to this blog and urged the citizens to contact the Mayor and Council. I urge you to take the time during this busy holiday season and do the same for Courtyard Plaza/Smithfield Village.
Email link: mayorandcouncil@cityofkeller.com
The first call I made after leaving the meeting was to Councilman Jim Carson, the owner of this blog. Judging by his reaction, this item is still beneath the radar of the elected and appointed leaders of Keller. Again, it’s the “professional” people down at city hall that are even letting these types of projects out of the preliminary stages.
It’s time for change. It’s time for the citizens to let the people at City Hall know… It’s the density stupid!
If this keeps up, Jim may get his wish and I just may run for council.
Greenway Investments has withdrawn its current proposal for Keller Station. They have indicated that they will be bringing a revised plan sometime after the first of the year through the Planning & Zoning and City Council approval process.
Greenway Investments has requested that its application for Keller Station be tabled. Again.
Please accept this email as a formal request to table consideration of our Concept Plan Amendment for Keller Station which is scheduled for November 20, 2007. After meeting with several citizens and City Council Members we have decided to re-look at our options related to the design of the residential component. I will notify you next week of the changes we will propose. Please contact me should you have further comments or questions.
Per my conversation with the interim city manager, their request will be granted with the acknowledgement that Greenway intends to make changes to its proposal. Legal counsel will also be consulted as to the limits of applicants’ ability to delay council action, and the significance of change which will precipitate return to Planning & Zoning.
Stay tuned…
OK, I just got back into town, and I had an email from Councilman Brown. Mr. Brown states that he will vote against Keller Station as long as apartments are part of the project.
We have two votes but need three. Keep emailing the Council and Mayor. Keep the pressure on. Here’s your link:
mayorandcouncil@cityofkeller.com
The elected leaders need to feel like they will be touching the third rail if they vote for any high density projects in Keller.
There’s an article in the Star-Telegram on Keller Station. http://www.star-telegram.com/407/story/290419.html
Also, the city manager’s weekly memo says that Keller Station will be on the November 20th agenda.
Current city council email count on Keller Station: 229 opposed, 5 in favor, 1 jump ball.
The City Attorney has issued his opinion regarding my request that an exception be made so that the Keller Station agenda item can be held in a Public Hearing, so that the public might express their views on this project.
Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what his opinion is. It begins with this language, in all-caps, bold-face underlined font:
THIS DOCUMENT IS PROTECTED BY THE ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE AND MAY NOT BE DISTRIBUTED WITHOUT THE CLIENT’S CONSENT
So, dear taxpayer, I am not allowed to tell you what your high-priced attorney has done to you. Sorry.
The would-be developer of Keller Station has requested that City Council consideration of its application be postponed. So Keller Station will not be on the November 6th agenda.
However, I would encourage any of you who feel passionate about this issue to still come to the Council meeting next Tuesday. I have requested that the following resolution be considered by the Council:
WHEREAS, The City of Keller established a special zoning district known as Town Center in 1990, with said district encompassing approximately 300 acres, and
WHEREAS, The Concept Plan for the Town Center zoning district clearly indicates that Town Center development shall be primarily non-residential, and
WHEREAS, Recent developments have been overwhelmingly residential, resulting in Town Center becoming predominantly residential and therefore out of compliance with the Town Center Concept Plan,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT
The City Council directs the city manager to review all ordinances, resolutions and procedures of the City of Keller regarding zoning and land use in Keller Town Center, for the expressed purpose of fulfilling the Town Center Concept Plan’s original intent of predominantly non-residential development, and proposing changes as necessary to the achievement of that goal.
We have one [retail/office master plan] in which citizens and business had input—it is called Town Center. The business plan has been sacrificed to multi-family residences in an attempt by the Mayor, Council, and staff to meet the financial requirements of the TIF.
